Bowling ball drilling machines

ABSTRACT

A machine for drilling holes in bowling balls at any desired angle with respect to the radial axis of the ball. The machine resembles a drill press and includes some of its conventional components. The vertical bearing for the quill of the drill press is connected to an arcuate guide which provides a bearing for a complementary slide and the latter is in turn connected to an angularly related arcuate slide which is supported by a complementary guide carried by a vertical post of the machine. The construction enables the quill of the drill press to be disposed at any selected angle relative to the bowling ball for the purpose of drilling holes in the bowling ball at any desired pitch.

1 1 Oct. 22, 1974 United States Patent 1191 Williams BOWLING BALL DRILLING MACHINES ABSTRACT A machine for drilling holes in bowling balls at any de- [76] Inventor: Michael Williams, 785 Belvedere sired angle with respect to the radial axis of the ball. The machine resembles a drill press and includes some of its conventional components. The vertical bearing for the quill of the drill press is connected to an arcuate guide which provides a bearing for a complementary slide and the latter is in turn connected to an angularly related arcuate slide which is supported by a complementary guide carried by a'vertical post of the machine. The construction enables the quill of the drill press to be disposed at any selected angle relative to the bowling ball for the purpose of drilling holes in the bowling ball at any desired pitch.

07 X .03 6 6H2 3m 2D 5 mb MW 0032 0 5 02 1 4 00 486 m 4 B S mm 4 62 T. u 4 31 n" 2/1 N .w W. E mm in 0 G T mm 0 %m RA mm a 2 02/ .IP n 7 "B00 CS S.w m 9 m 0 s .mm r l 4 e f a r H. CT. 0. W 0 8 "a" mA C l 7 WWW rT o V. w. "n kSTM E 0 M mmw RD N N 3 MM E20 "U T56 .e 99 0 "u Mll N l hf NW C0 1 d M d e S .l H p m m 600 11 111 1 a 2 l 2 00 6 2 2 555 5 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Primary Examiner-Francis S. Husar BOWLING BALL DRILLING MACHINES BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY Insofar as is known, the prior art includes bowling ball drilling machines wherein the ball is displaced relative to a drill which is only movable along a fixed vertical axis. These machines are difficult to operate since they require indexing mechanisms for the ball holder which require considerable skill to operate.

Other known machines hold the bolwing ball in fixed position and provide for angular displacement of the axis of movement of the drill, but such machines are quite complicated. This invention relates to the latter type of machines, but embodies a construction which is low in cost and very simple to operate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing accompanying this description and forming part of this application, there is shown, for purpose of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume, and in this drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a machine for drilling a bowling ball, parts being shown in section,

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the machine, and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view corresponding to the line 33 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a base which may be similar to the bed of a conventional drill press. Supported on the base is a bowling ball holder 11 which, in the embodiment disclosed, is a block of rubber or the like, having a less then semispherical recess 12 for closely receiving the bottom portion ofa bowling ball 14. Suitable clamps I5, 15 are provided for releasably holding the bowling ball in a selected position.

Extending upwardly from a socket 16 carried by the base is a support post 17, and a support sleeve 18 is mounted on the post for vertical adjustment. A guide 19 is fixed to a side of the sleeve 18, as by welding, and this guide provides an arcuate slide surface 20 for a complementary slide 21.

Another arcuate 22 is angularly related (at right angles herein shown) and fixedly connected to the slide 21, and the connection may be made by welding. The slide 22 provides a support for a guide 23. Connected to the guide 23, as by welding, is the upright bearing sleeve 24 for the quill 25 of a conventional drill press. The quill is restrained against rotation within thebearing sleeve, but is movably axially therewithin. The quill may have conventional spaced slots 26 which are engageable with the teeth of a rotatably mounted gear 27. Rotation of the gear 27 causes axial movement of the quill in the customary manner. A drive shaft 28 is rotatably carried within the quill and held to axial movement therewith. At its lower end, the shaft carries a chuck 29 in which a drill 30 is replaceably carried. The gear 27 is rotated in conventional manner by a manually operable handle 31. The drive shaft may be rotated in any suitable manner, such as by a motor (not shown) carried by the bearing sleeve, or by belting or gearing with a motor otherwise supported.

The slide 22 is curved along a radius 32 which has its center at the periphery of the bowling ball at its vertical axis, and this radius may be a mean radius for bowling balls of varying diameters. It will be appreciated that the length of the drill will be chosen to accommodate such radius. Any suitable means, such as a lock screw, may be provided for locking the guide 23 at any adjusted position along the slide 22, and means such as a vernier adjustment, maybe provided to move the guide along the slide to any selected position. A pointer 33 may be provided on the slide 22,, cooperable with a scale 34 on the guide 23. At the zero marking, the guide 23 is so disposed on the slide 22 that the axes of the drive shaft 28 and the drill 30, are in alignment with the vertical axis of the bowling ball.

The slide 21 is also curved along a radius 40 which is similar to the radius 32 in that it has its center at the periphery of the bowling ball at its vertical axis. A pointer 41 is provided on the slide 21 and a scale 42 is provied on the guide 19. At the zero marking, the slide 21 is so disposed on the guide 19 that the axis of the drive shaft 28 and the drill 30 are in alignment with the vertical axis of the bowling ball.

Prior to the drilling operation, a bowling ball is marked on its peripheral surface to indicate the points where the two or three holes are to be drilled. In use of the invention, both slides 21 and .22 are positioned at their zero markings and after the ball 14 has been positined on the support block 11, the drill 30 is brought down to the periphery of the ball and a hole marking is aligned with the tip of the drill. Then the clamps 15 are tightened to firmly'hold the ball] against movement.

If a hole is to be drilled into the ball along an axis passing through the center of the ball, the slides 21 and 22 are retained at their zero markings and the hole is drilled. However, if hole is to be drilled so that its axis does not pass through the center of the ball, either or both slides 21 and 22 are adjusted the desired amount. The drill will again pass through the peripheral holelocation marking on the ball, but the hole will be on an axis which is displaced from the center of the ball. Suitable tables may be provided to show an operator the amount of displacement ofeither or both slides 21, 22 from the zero marking for a desired hole inclination.

After one hole is drilled the clamps 15 are loosened to permit rotation of the ball so that another hole marking may be aligned with the drill 30. In some cases, the holes for the middle and ring finger of a three hole bowling ball may be drilled without rotating the bowling ball 14. Attention directed to the fact that the sleeve 18 may be rotated about the post 17 by loosening the set screw 45. Preferably, a collar 46 is adjustably mounted on the post 17 and is effective to hold the sleeve 18 and parts carried thereby, from dropping when the set screw 45 is loosened.

As seen in FIG. 2, the sleeve 18, and parts carried thereby, may be rotated from the location indicated by the line 47 to a radially displaced location, such as that indicated by the line 48. The drill 30 will be swung about the arc 49 and the hole drilled at the intersection of the line 48 and are 49. The are may be so chosen that the two holes will be off-set in accordance with standard practice. In drilling thehole at the intersecting line and arc, it may or may not be necessary to adjust the inclination of the drill in the manner hereinbefore described, and thiswill depend upon hole pitch preference. As seen in FIG. 3, the sleeve 18 may have a marking 50 adapted to be aligned with a zero designation to indicate that the drill is positioned for alignment with the vertical axis of the bowling ball. If desired, the sleeve 18 and parts carried thereby may be rotated to drill a hole on one side of the line 47, and then again rotated to drill a hole on the opposite side of the line 47.

I claim:

l. A machine for drilling a hole in a bowling ball,

comprising:

a base,

a support for said bowling ball, carried by said base and extending upwardly therefrom, said support including clamping means for releasably holding said bowling ball with the top portion of the latter exposed, I

a post carried by said base and extending upwardly therefrom beyond the top portion of said bowling ball, said post being spaced to one side of said support,

a first sleeve slidably carried by said post and includ ing means for holding it in any selected axial position therealong,

quill means for rotatably supporting a drill,

a bearing sleeve supporting said quill means for axial movement in a direction toward and away from said bowling ball,

a'guide crosswise of and fixed to said first sleeve, said guide having a curved slide surface,

a slide having a curved surface complementary to the surface of said guide and slidably engaging the same, said slide supporting said bearing sleeve, whereby the longitudinal axis of said drill may be angularly displaced relative to said bowling ball by moving said slide relative to said guide.

2. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said guide has a downwardly curved slide surface, the center of curvature of which may be positioned at the periphery of said ball by adjustment of said first sleeve on said post.

3. A machine for drilling a hole comprising:

a base,

a support for said bowling ball, carried by said base and extending upwardly therefrom, said support including clamping means for releasably holding said ball with the top portion thereof exposed,

a post carried by said base and extending upwardly therefrom beyond the top portion of said bowling ball, said post being spaced to one side of said support,

a first sleeve slidably carried by said post and including means for holding it in any selected axial position therealong,

quill means for rotatably supporting a drill,

a bearing sleeve supporting said quill means for axial movement in a direction toward and away from said bowling ball,

a first guide crosswise of and fixed to said first sleeve,

said guide having a curved slide surface,

a first slide having a curved slide surface complementary to the surface said guide and slidably engaging the same,

a second slide fixedly connected to and extending from said first slide at an angle, said second slide having a curved slide surface,

a second guide having a curved slide surface complementary to the surface of said second slide andslidably engaging the same,

said bearing sleeve being connected to said second guide.

4. The construction according to claim 3 wherein said second slide extends at right angles to said first slide and has one end connected to the latter.

in a bowling ball, 

1. A machine for drilling a hole in a bowling ball, comprising: a base, a support for said bowling ball, carried by said base and extending upwardly therefrom, said support including clamping means for releasably holding said bowling ball with the top portion of the latter exposed, a post carried by said base and extending upwardly therefrom beyond the top portion of said bowling ball, said post being spaced to one side of said support, a first sleeve slidably carried by said post and including means for holding it in any selected axial position therealong, quill means for rotatably supporting a drill, a bearing sleeve supporting said quill means for axial movement in a direction toward and away from said bowling ball, a guide crosswise of and fixed to said first sleeve, said guide having a curved slide surface, a slide having a curved surface complementary to the surface of said guide and slidably engaging the same, said slide supporting said bearing sleeve, whereby the longitudinal axis of said drill may be angularly displaced relative to said bowling ball by moving said slide relative to said guide.
 2. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said guide has a downwardly curved slide surface, the center of curvature of which may be positioned at the periphery of said ball by adjustment of said first sleeve on said post.
 3. A machine for drilling a hole in a bowling ball, comprising: a base, a support for said bowling ball, carried by said base and extending upwardly therefrom, said support including clamping means for releasably holding said ball with the top portion thereof exposed, a post carried by said base and extending upwardly therefrom beyond the top portion of said bowling ball, said post being spaced to one side of said support, a first sleeve slidably carried by said post and including means for holding it in any selected axial position therealong, quill means for rotatably supporting a drill, a bearing sleeve supporting said quill means for axial movement in a direction toward and away from said bowling ball, a first guide crosswise of and fixed to said first sleeve, said guide having a curved slide surface, a first slide having a curved slide surface complementary to the surface said guide and slidably engaging the same, a second slide fixedly connected to and extending from said first slide at an angle, said second slide having a curved slide surface, a second guide having a curved slide surface complementary to the surface of said second slide and slidably engaging the same, said bearing sleeve being connected to said second guide.
 4. The construction according to claim 3 wherein said second slide extends at right angles to said first slide and has one end connected to the latter. 